Days of Immortal
by VioletTheChao
Summary: Sonic was declared dead years ago. I never cared before, but now things are getting out of hand. First we move, then I have to go to a new school, and NOW I have to save the world and my father, who was supposed to be dead? Rated for dark themes.
1. Prolouge

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Hey guys! I kinda dropped the idea for Ordinary Chaos (check over there for more info), but I've had this idea for such a long time, I can't hold it in any longer. It's gonna be EPIC! Erm... Yeah, here's the Prolouge.

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It was a bleak day when he last saw daylight. The clouds were heavy with rain, beginning to leak small drops as a storm began, a flash of lightning illuminating a tall building before the cobalt figure.

"It's time," he muttered with a grim sigh. "Our final battle. I knew this was comming."

As the raindrops fell harder, he put his foot forward, ready to begin running. Once he started, there was no going back. _The final confontation,_ he mused over. _I knew it would happen, but..._

"WAIT!"

He turned around to see two shapes racing toward him. One, smaller than the other, broke through the mist first.

"Tails?"

The fox collapsed in front of the first figure. "Don't go, Sonic!" he pleaded. "What if you don't make it?"

Sonic looked thoughtfully at Tails. "I will make it," he assured. "Besides, you're thirteen now. You can take care of things, can't you?"

The young fox kit's twin tails flicked nervously. "Yeah, but..."

"I'll be fine," he swore. "I promise."

He turned to go, but was stopped once more by another cry.

"No! Wait!"

Sonic sighed. "Amy, I'll be _fine."_

"How do you know for sure?" Amy demanded. "You know you're important to me."

"And you're important to me," the blue hedgehog responded. "You know that."

"B-But you promised you'd always be here for me," she whispered under her breath, rasing her hand to reveal a diamond ring over her white glove. It glittered oddly in the dark, rainy day, lit only by the faint flicker of street lamps.

"I know," Sonic spoke softly, "But I'll be fine, just wait. I'll be around for our wedding, and then for-well, you know..."

"Sonic, let me go with you!" thhe pink hedgehog blurted. "Please!"

"No!" Sonic shouted. He cooled down for a moment, tthen spoke again. "This is for me to do. Besides, you have to take care of... him or her if I don't make it."Amy looked down for a moment. "I'll be fine," Sonic repeated. "You keep that kid safe 'till I get back, alright?"

Amy slowly raised her head to meet the other's emerald gaze. "Be careful, at least. For me."

"I'll keep that in mind," he smiled. He turned back to the building. "Well, time to settle this."

He set off, looking back twice before entering. Amy and Tails kept their eyes on the building as quick footsteps seemed to echo in every direction. Then came silence, then a burst of fire.

"What's happening?" Amy cried out. "I have to go in there!"

"No!" the young fox yelped, half in exclaimation, half to Amy. "It's... it's too late."

He was right. The whole building had exploded. Nobody could have survived it. Amy fell to her knees and began to cry.

"Well," Tails spoke in a shaky tone, nearly crying himself, "We won."

"No, we didn't," Amy muttered. "He won, but we lost. We've lost him forever."

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**Well, I wish I could have written that better. If you didn't get it:**

**-Amy and Sonic are... _were_ about to get married**

**-Amy is pregnant**

**-Sonic is pretty much toast. More about this scene will fall into place as the story goes on. (In other words, more about this at 10!)**

**-I will update soon!**


	2. Chapter 1: Meet Storm

**THIRTEEN YEARS LATER**

I sat in the car watching the rain roll off my window as my mother stared out of the windshield. An awkward silence hung in the car, disrupted only by the songs playing steadily on the radio and the traffic of other cars passing by. We had run out of car games and things to do on the long road trip, so I sat in near silence watching the rain while my brother looked on at the map.

"How much farther now, Chase?" I asked.

"Um... I think we're almost in the city," he replied. "Getting bored yet?"

"Got there hours ago," I groaned as I turned my head back to the window.

"We're almost there, Storm," Mom sighed. "Get your stuff ready."

I guess I should explain who I am. My name is Storm Rose, and my brother is named Chase. My mom is named Amy, and my dad...well, I don't exactly have one. See, my father died before I was born, and after Mom had me, she moved out of the area she lived in, although she never tells us why. Mom works as a teacher, and she got a job offer to move back to her old town in Station Square. I thought she'd be happy about this, but she accepted it reluctantly. Now she was going to teach in a private school called Oakbranch Academy, where we would be attending, but that didn't make us instantly rich. We still had to live in an apartment and get summer jobs if we wanted a vacation.

"So, are you two ready for school tomorrow?" Mom asked, tearing me away from my train of thought.

"You said we had a week off!" I sputtered.

"I said I had a week off," she spoke with a slight laugh. "You just weren't listening. I need time to unpack, and I can only do that..."

"If you get us out of your quills?" Chase suggested. Mom laughed.

"Sorry to spring this on you, though," she smiled in a sympathetic manner, "Maybe you'll make friends!"

________

_On the first day? ______Maybe when pigs fly._

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The first day of school went just great. There is nothing better than starting school just before the winter holidays, when everyone already knows all the other new kids. Nothing fills me with more _joy_ than taking the only available seat (usually the worst) in every class, in the perfect spot for the teachers to see me slack off.

And nothing, _nothing,_ makes me happier than being in the same class as Dyna the Hawk.

She was the kind of girl who stays right on top of everyone in schools. She wore the kind of clothes you can only get for $100 in a sale at the most expensive store in the mall, but she looked athletic, too, like she did push-ups whenever she wasn't concerned with messing up a pedicure. I, on the other hand, was wearing an old t-shirt from my track team back home with some old jeans. Compared to her, I looked like I had gotten hit by a bus.

She looked me over, taking in all the details. I was sure she was going to say something awful about me, but instead, she took a step back.

"I like your quills," she commented. "Where'd you get them done?"

That's what _everyone_ asks. My quills are cotton candy pink with blue tips, and the pink fades into violet near the tips. It's beautiful, and I _hate it. _Why can't I have teal quills, like my brother? I don't even _like _pink!

"I do them myself," I responded, "It's natural."

Some gathered_ Oohs _came from her friends. She looked at me with a hand on her hips.

"You're alright," she smirked. "Wanna eat lunch with us?"

"Sure," I shrugged. I figured it could be worse than getting invited to eat with the popular girl on my first day, and I should take the chance. As we walked to the lunchroom, I swore I saw a shadowy figure outside of a window. I squinted to take a closer look, but it was gone.

"Must be imagining things," I muttered as I left.

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**Please, correct me on any errors I make! And review, review, review!**


	3. Chapter 2: Lunch!

The lunch room was very crowded. Many classes from the elementary school and middle school grades were all put in the same room for their midday meal, and among them was the fifth grade class Chase was put into. I went over to say hello.

"Met anybody?" I asked.

"There's one kid who's been bumped up a couple grades who's been showing me around," he shrugged. "Kinda quiet. Doesn't get talked to much, he says."

He gestured to a small, odd looking boy- I couldn't even tell what he was, which made me feel awful (think of it like not knowing someone's gender), but I could tell he had some sort of canine in him. He had caramel colored fur and ears that folded over like that of a puppy, or a floppy eared rabbit. He also had amber eyes and a silky, yet bushy tail.

_Hey...wait a second..._

He had _two _bushy tails. Two fox tails that swayed nervously back and forth. The kid looked up and gave a shy wave and smile. I instantly felt stupid, but the kid sighed like he got stares like that all the time. The poor kid probably did.

"Hey, Stormy!" Dyna shouted. "You sittin' over here or what?"

"Be right there!" I called back. "See you later- what's your name?"

"Dale," the quiet kid spoke.

"Well, I'll see you two later!" I smiled as I walked to the table.

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You'd think getting invited to sit with someone was a sign of possible friendship. But at that table, I felt alone.

All the girls talked about nothing but dating and makeup- nothing I was into- and "cute guys" from shows I don't watch. Not a single time did a person notice I was there or say a word to me. At one point I just got up and walked to a different table and took a few bites of my packed lunch to try to keep me up, but I wasn't hungry.

"Don't worry about her_,_" a voice next to me spoke, "She does this with all the new kids."

I turned to see a black cat with a white ear next to me, and on her right sat a coyote. The black cat spoke again.

"She goes through little cycles of 'friends'," she rolled her eyes, using air quotes. "I was her-_ahem-_'best friend' in fourth grade."

I wasn't too sure what to say until she spoke again. "My name's Jade," she introduced, "and this is Victoire."

Victoire smiled. "Hello," she greeted with a slight French accent.

"We kinda lay low," Jade began. "In case you haven't noticed, Dyna is on top here."

"No kidding," I rolled my eyes. There was a slight awkward silence, so I decided to ask a question.

"Is there a track team here?" I asked. I had always enjoyed running, anyway.

"Well, we have Basketball," Jade replied, "And Soccer. And Swimming tryouts are this week, too."

"Look out, though," Victoire smiled. "Dyna is a great swimmer."

I clapped my hands together. "Swimming it is, then."

The two of them stared at me. "You sure?" Jade asked.

"Why not? A little competition is fun," I replied.

"Class 7B lunch dismissed!" a teacher yelled.

"Well, back to the books!" Jade sighed. "I'll help show you to your classes from now on, 'kay?"

I smiled and agreed. I walked out of the lunchroom (checking the window near the lockers for the shadowy figure-no such luck) feeling a great deal better than I had when I had walked in. At least this time I had something close to a friend.

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**Yay! It's short, I know, but I got lazy. Here's something fun: Everyone in this chapter (except Jade, who is my friend's Warriors OC) has roots in a Sonic character! Even if I know very little about the character! HOORAY FOR EXCLAIMATION POINTS!**

**(Free stuff to the first one to guess Dale. It's easy. He has two people to guess, a Dad and a Mom.)**


	4. Chapter 3: Super Short Segue!

**WARNING: Chapter is super short! Updates will be quicker! I've been busy!**

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Before I knew it, school had ended. Mom picked us up to bring us back to our apartment, which looked a little better by now after a little unpacking. There were three bedrooms, a den, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. Boxes were still littered throughout the rooms, and there wasn't much room in the den to watch TV, I decided to go to my room to read for a while.

"Hey Mom!" I shouted when I reached my room. "Did you unpack my books yet?"

"The box is in the den!" she yelled back. _Big help, _I thought. _That's the most crowded room in the apartment. _I walked out to scavenge for someting to keep me occupied for a while. As I scanned the boxes, I found one with a message in black marker: **_Storm's Stuff_**.

As I walked over to grab some books and stuff from it, I spotted a second box- this one with more tape on it, and a label reading _**"Amy's Personal Belongings- DON'**_**T_ TOUCH!"_**

Naturally, I walked over to open it for a closer look. It looked like Mom had already taken a few things out of the box, as the tape had been cut and it seemed less full. I rustled through a few things and found a book labled **_Diary of Amy Rose._**

I looked to make sure nobody was watching and grabbed it. Now, to explain _why_ I did it, let me tell you something. Remember when I said my Dad is gone? Mom never talks about him at all. She tries to pretend the person who helped bring us into existance never, well, existed. All my life I've wanted to know more about him. The book looked like a golden opportunity. I rushed it to my room and opened it to the first page.

The first thing in the book was a photo of my mom when she was around fourteen, a year older than me, glued to the page. In glittery pink ink, a note was written under it.

_I got this journal for my fourteenth birthday from my Mom. She said I should write in it when something interesting happens. Fat chance of that happening, right? Well, I'll keep this for a while. I guess I can sell this if I become rich and famous one day!_

Rich and famous. Two thing we aren't. Sorry, fourteen year old Mom.

"Storm!" Mom called, interupting my train of thought. "Dinner!"

I raced to the kitchen to eat, putting the book under my pillow. I'd take a look at it later.

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We unpacked after dinner. I had no time to read the Diary at all until around 9:45, and by then I was getting tired. So with the book still under my pillow, turned off my lights and got into bed. As I closed my eyes, I heard two voices echoing out of nowhere.

_"Are you sure this is right?"_

_"Of course. What's going on is a lot less right than this."_

I might have bolted out of bed and checked the window if I was less tired. I might have gotten up and told someone I was hearing voices. But if I had done those things, none of this would have happened. So I went to sleep and had the nightmare that would haunt me for years to come.

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**Sorry for the long wait and the short chapter! I haven't had much time to work, but today I went on mylifeisaverage and the word of the day was sonic. I figured that was a sign I should share what I have. Next chapter will have a shorter wait because I've been working on it in rough draft and I love how it turned out.**


	5. Chapter 4: Night Whispers

**TA-DA! It's here! Please, tell me what you think on this one. Also, I have a poll on my page that needs answering when you're done! Enjoy!**

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My dream that night was the oddest I've had in...well, as long as I can remember. See, my dreams at night have never made sense. One night I would be growing a cupcake tree, and the next I might be fighting a giant badger. But this dream had to top it all off because it made sense, and it even felt real when I had woken up.

In my dream, I was racing through what appeared to be a dark iron labyrinth with metal corridors surrounding me on all sides. I was running toward a room somewhere near the center of the maze of hallways. There was something, or someone, very important in that room. I could feel it as an odd yet strong hunch as my paced quickened. I moved swiftly, knowing every turn and hallway. At last, I came to a steel doorway. I walked in stealthily, knowing this was it. The contents of the room were amazing- in their own terrifying, horrific way.

It was an odd spectacle, alright. There was heavy machinery around the area of the room, and in the center like some confusing artistic centerpiece was a huge device that looked like something pulled out of a Sci-Fi movie. It was a big glass tube connected to a metal base and a top with wires and tubes trailing out to different machines. Inside was an uncoscious hedgehog- a person I felt like I knew. Everything about him I knew I had seen before. He was breathing normally, despite the fact that a strange vaccum device suspended him in mid air.

I tore my eyes away from himas someone else entered the room. I didn't see their face, as they were hidden in the dark shadows of the room.

"Well, well." the figure spoke with a cold, cruel, and slightly female soundign voice. "If it isn't the famous hero."

I tensed up as the figure suspended in the tube snapped open his green eyes_. Those eyes..._

I swore I had seen them before. Just looking at him made me feel serious deja vu. I _knew _he was familiar, but I had no idea where I had seen him. I shook the thought off and paid more attention to what was going on.

His expression changed. First he looked dazed and tired, then shocked, and soon he had an expression of panic.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Am I..."

"Dead?" the figure finished with a cold laugh. "You wish."

His eyes rested on the dark figure. "Who are you?" he asked tensely. "Are you one of his minions or something?"

She shrugged. "I was until you killed him. Nice job, by the way."

I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic, but I shoved that aside as the hedgehog in the tube spoke again. "Look, I'm sorry, but-"

"Oh, don't be sorry. I'm not."

The blue hedgehog raised an eyeridge. "Well, what do you want, anyway?"

The female made a _tsk, tsk_ sound. "I don't _want _anything. I need it. And you would simply not supply it if I asked."

"What is it? The Chaos Emeralds?"

"Your life."

He froze. Any words he tried to get out turned to nothing as he tried to strangle them out. He was finally able to get a sentence out.

"That's why I'm in this, aren't I? So I can't resist?"

"Oh, Hell no," she made a waving gesture. "That's just the beauty of it. See, what you are hooked up to is a device that will harness your life force. It's not unlike milking a cow, except that doesn't take as long or have as much pain. Now, I'd advise you hold still."

"Wha-" his words were cut off by a scream of pure, intollerable pain escaping his mouth as the sound of static sounded and the machines came to life. He lookedlike he was being stabbed from all sides, but no blood leaked out anywhere. I couldn't help but gasp a little at the horror of it all. It was around then that I noticed that my voice was not my own. I almost looked down at myself, but my eyes were glued to the horrific scene as the shadowy figure spoke again.

"See?" I couldn't see her face, but I knew she was smiling. "Now, don't worry. The pain will wear off in oh, twelve, fourteen years tops."

"Fourteen-" his pupils shrunk. "That kind of agony for fourteen years?"

"Well, depends when you die," she shrugged. "That's my estimate. Now, I've taken all precautions, so don't even _think _about escaping. Suicide is out, too. So welcome to the first day of the rest of your life."

The machines were activated again, and I swore I saw the blue hedgehog look at me before I woke up, his screams still ringing in my ears.

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**Hooray! Quicker update! Also, the badger dream and the cupcake dream I mentioned were real dreams. I had the cupcake one, my friend had the badger. REVIEW LIKE THERE IS NO NEXT CHAPTER! (even if there is...)**


	6. Chapter 5: Diary of a Fangirl

**Yes, I took my time. Don't rush me, okay? **

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The dream burned in my mind for the rest of the morning. The gruesome spectacle of it all just haunted me. What could have driven my disturbed mind to come up with that...that torture? Every time I thought about it, I tried to push it into the back of my mind, but it was still back there, nagging at me constantly. I didn't plan on telling anyone about it. After all, dreams don't really mean much, right?

...Right?

Anyway, I asked Mom about Swimming at breakfast. She said I could try it if I wanted to, to I signed up in the office when I got to school. It said tryouts were tomorrow, so I told myself to remember to dig out my swimsuit in the afternoon. When I walked into Science, my first class, Dyna confronted me.

_I was worried this would happen, _I groaned mentally. _I guess there's no escaping it._

"Like, why did you leave the table?" she scoffed at me. "I mean, how often do we let people sit with us? Gosh, you're so unappericiative!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, when you put it that way, I feel sooo welcome..."

"Just shut it!" Dyna replied. "I've got my eye on you, Storm. Keep that in mind."

I faked a frightened face. "Oh! I'm terrified! Just get off my back."

She scowled and walked away as class begun.

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The day blurred by. I didn't pay attention too much, my thoughts were focused on the book. Had Mom noticed it? Would she? What would I find in there? I was anxious to get home and find out.

"How was school?" Mom asked. "I got you a new swimsuit for the tryouts. It's on your bed."

"School was cool, and thanks," I tried not to sound rushed and nervous. After years of practicing ("cookie? What cookie? I didn't know you baked cookies."), I had become pretty good at it. I dashed through my homework in the afternoon so I could go l could read the- sorry, 'try on my swimsuit'. (I secretly wondered who sold these things in December. Heck, I wondered why that was the season the school picked for swimming.)

I flipped open the book when I was finally in my room. What I found both dissapointed me and bored me half to death. Nothing much was in there at all. It was mainly vacation photos and a mess of blank pages.

_What did you expect?_ Half of me asked._ A double life? A secret world?_

To tell the truth, I did have naïve hopes about the whole thing. I groaned as it seemed like my search for interest was a failure. I flipped through the pages like a deck of cards to see if the whole thing was this boring. That's when I found the first picture of _him._

It was a newpaper clipping of a blue hedgehog posing for the camera, looking victorius and proud. I dropped the book on the bed. It was the same guy as the one in my dream. I read the caption: _Blue Blur does it again._

I looked at Mom's note under it- _I saw him in the paper again today. I feel so...so weird when I see him. I just wish he would notice me for once._

I searched for his name- no mention. She had cut only the picture out of the paper, with only a few words visible from the article. Frustrated, I flipped a few more pages. This one had another paper clipping- this one with three figures. The mysterious blue hedgehog, plus a young fox with two tails.

_Huh,_ I thought. _Looks like Dale._ Then I looked at the third figure, ny eyes resting on the last person I expected to see.

There was Mom, at around age 15, toting a huge mallet. My jaw dropped as I looked at the large picture. They were- I swear to God, pardon my language- fighting a giant robot. This one had no side note from Mom, just the article. I scanned it at once.

**_When Robots Attack!_**  
_After another dastardly plot, the notorious Dr. Robotnik (commonly known as Eggman) was once again defeated by the famous Sonic the Hedgehog, seen here with friends Miles "Tails" Prower and Amy Rose. The-_

The article was cut off there, along with my heartbeat. My mother knew a famous hero. She has fought giant robots with hammers.

They just don't tell you those things on career day, do they?

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**Hope you liked it! Review! Flames will be used to roast your own corpse. Or maybe a ham. Ham is good.**


	7. Chapter 6: An Average Day, Part 1

Forgive me for this shortness and lack of plot, but I don't want to overdo the chapter, and suspence is fun. Also, this author's note is being written via iPod Touch, so if the formatting is off on this note, I'll fix it. Also, I might change the title of this fanfic so it has more to do with the story. Now, proceed to read! _

No dreams came to me that night. I was half dissappointed- a twisted, dark, yet curious part of me wanted to see my nightmare again, so that I might be able to make some more sense of it, knowing who this "Sonic" person was in a vauge way. But to my other, more sane half's relief, my crazy mind was silent for a night.

Let's cut to lunch. I was sitting at the same table I had sat at for the past two days, chatting with Jade Rowling and Victoire D'Coolette while we avoided Dyna and her herd. Jade was oddly quiet that day, which didn't seem significant at the time, but looking back, this seemed odd for her.

"Wish me luck this afternoon!" I cheered as we left at the end of lunch.

"Eh?" she looked confused.

"Swimming?"

She seemed to remember my idea about competition. "Right!" she laughed in an odd way. "Have fun!"

I paused a moment. Something seemed off about her today...I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"...Has silver always been your natural eye color?" I asked, slightly doubting my sanity. "I could swear they were green yesterday..."

Now, reflecting on it, she froze up for a second before speaking smoothly, "I wear colored contacts sometimes. You know, trip people up? Like now?"

"Oh," I smiled. I threw in a little laugh. That did seem like her kind of thing. "See ya, then!"

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When school was over, I went over to the school "activity center"- being the big private school that it was, it decided that it didn't want to call itself a "gym". I guess it's one of the little ways principals make themselves feel better about themsves- "You have a gym? We have a full activity center! How do you like them apples?"

Or whatever. I'm getting off track.

Anyway, they had a pool there. Nothing big and thrilling, just a big rectangular hole, and it was freezing, nonetheless. I went in the locker rooms to get changed, and I was barely in my swimsuit when I felt like the place had just gotten colder. Along with the temperature change came many "Oh my god!"s. These two symtoms were signs the Dyna and her company had arrived. I stepped out of the stall, hoping she wouldn't notice me. I had no such luck.

"Well!" she scoffed. "It looks like we have a little stalker on our hands, doesn't it?"

"I'm just going to tryouts," I rolled my eyes. "Just because we happen to be in the same place doesn't mean-"

"Admit it," she interupted. "You're either following us or you've decided you're sorry and want to be like me."

I groaned. "You've got to be-"

"Well, I won't stand for it!" she continued her rant. "I won't have you come near us. There's only room for one of us on the team, and your chances are slimmer than I am."

I clenched my fists. If there was one thing that bugged me, it was vanity. "I wouldn't say that," I replied smoothly, "You fat faced penguin."  
I know, it wasn't justified. But it feld good. Besides, I could swear her green feathered face, mixed with the red that was now appearing as she grew angrier, looked like she was getting decorated for Christmas.

"You...You..."

"I'll see you in the water," I smirked as I left.


	8. Chapter 7: An Average Day, Part 2

**Please tell me what you think about this one. You have to admit, that was a speedy update. So review moar pease?**

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"Alright, girls," the instructor introduced after warmups, "You may call me Coach Walker. You are here to show me what you're made of. I want you to start off by giving me four laps of the stroke of your choice. GO!"

I shot off the diving block and began to do the breaststroke. It felt the most comfortable for me, and it helped me move smoothly with the water. When I finished up, I waited for further instruction.

"Now I need to see your freestyle," The coach instructed. "Line up behind the diving blocks one at a time."

I raced to the line just before Dyna. When it was my turn to go, I tore through the water like I was being chased by laser sharks, which would be a pretty cool way to go, honestly. The coach nodded her approval and wrote something down.

"Now, let's see some backstroke!" she called as the last person finished up. I got in line a few behind Dyna this time, who was sneaking little glares at me. That time I did just as well. We did the same thing with Breaststroke (which I rocked at) and Butterfly (in which I looked more like a drowning caterpillar, but I did fine),

"You can go get some water now," Coach Walker declared when we had finished up. "After that we'll do this all again." Groans came from many other swimmers, but I just raced to the water fountain for a drink.

"You really do have some nerve here."

I turned around. There was a dirty blond colored falcon girl who I had seen with Dyna. She spoke in a hushed voice. "I haven't seen someone try to top Dyna for a while," she whispered. "You're pretty brave."

"It's nothing," I spoke between sips of water.

"You'd better watch your back," she continued. "She's-"

"And what are we talking about, Carmen?"

The falcon whipped around to Dyna's voice. "N-nothing!" she stepped out of the way and ran back toward the pool area.

"What now?" I grumbled.

"I've said it before," Dyna gave me a venomus glare. "There's only room for one of us on the team."

Then, in a motion so quick I hardly knew what happened, she kicked me square in the shin. A sharp pain flowed through my leg as I clutched it.

"What was that for?" I demanded.

"Nobody takes my place," she smirked as she turned back to the pool.

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The rest of the tryouts went pitifully. I floundered at just about everything but breaststroke due to my shin. By the time tryouts were over, I knew the verdict- I was not getting on the team. _Fine,_ I told myself. Just fine. I wanted a challenge, I got it. We have to carry on.

Besides, I had other things to do; I had just found out my mother was a crime fighter. I needed to look through the journal some more. When Mom picked me up, I didn't share many details. I just sat there until we got home. When we got there, I went to my room to- ahem, do homework. I had very little work, and I finished it quickly. I flipped to a page in the diary.

_Today I tried to warm up to Sonic again. It seems like whatever I do, he just runs away. Should I start being more forceful, or just give up? No, I can't give up. I won't. I feel so...alive around him. He's perfect_.

I flipped some more pages. I found a few more articles about his victories against this- this Eggman guy. I read about some of Mom's other friends, like Cream the Rabbit and people like Shadow the Hedgehog, who seemed very dark and mysterious. I found a group photo of a huge group- A black and red hedgehog who I assumed was Shadow, a small brown rabbit-Cream- a red...hedgehog or something, Knuckles apparently, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Sonic, with a young Amy Rose tackling him in an involuntary hug. I had to laugh.

"What're you doing in here, Storm-" I heard footsteps as they approached the door and opened it. I didn't have time to stash the book under my pillow before jade eyes rested on it and narrowed.

"What. are. you. doing. with. that?" Mom asked, fire in her eyes. I was busted.

I was about to get in so much trouble. But I wasn't about to let it go without finding the answers to a few questions.

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Note: Yes, I know what Knuckles is. Storm doesn't, though. SO REVIEW!


	9. Chapter 8: Start talkin!

**YAY! New chapter! Please, give me reviews! I hope you like the analogy in here. Tell me what you think!**

"I asked you a question," Mom repreated. "What are you doing with that?"

I gulped. I had to say this right, whatever I decided to say. Mom looked like she was about to jump down my throat no matter what I said, so I had to make myself clear without sounding like I'm backtalking her.

_Think_, I told myself. _Think of anyone else_. I always tell myself to do that. It means I have to envision what a perfect angel would say.

The right words came to me as I handed over the book. "I just wanted to know more about Dad," I sighed. "You never talk about him."

I added the next event to my "List of Major Achievements" in life- she bought it. She gave me an "I've got my eye on you" look, which, by the way, I had seen a lot fron some certain feathery fiends lately, and began to walk away. But I had one more thing to say.

"Why, though?"

She turned around. "Why what?" she asked, raising an eye ridge.

"Why don't you talk about him?" I asked. "Up until recently, I didn't even know his name. You act like he didn't exist. Why?"

At first, I didn't know what she would do. She could have walked out without a word. I could have gotten yelled at. But she sat down on my bed and sighed.

"I didn't want to talk about it," she began. "I still don't. Here, let me explain it like this. Do you remember when you were in third grade and you had to make a diorama of a rain forest?"

I nodded. That had been a frustrating project.

"When you first started, you had no idea what to do. You would just stare at the shoebox and directions the teacher gave you and wonder how the heck you would pull it off. Then, you got started. It was difficult, wasn't it? You had to make the little things out of clay and find the right place to put them. If you messed up on something, you had to start over. It seemed like it would never end, didn't it?"

I nodded again.

"And eventually, it stopped being hard. You got the hang of it, and the diorama began to cooperate. It became fun. And when you finished, you stepped back and saw how great your work was. It all seemed worth it. And then do you remember what happened?"

I looked back and remembered. "It fell out the third story window while it was drying and got run over by a truck," I laughed slightly.

"Right," Mom sighed with a small, forced laugh. Not a cheesy one, but like she really wanted to laugh but couldn't. "You were devastated. All the work you had put into it, destroyed like-" she snapped- "that. All of it gone in a flash. Do you see where I'm going?"

"...No," I said, feeling awkward and stupid.

"Our relationship was like that," Mom continued. "When I had first seen him, I was in love, but I had no idea what to do. When I decided to let him know, I always did it wrong. He always ran away in the end. But after many failures, we started to hit it off. Things were going fine. I felt like my hard work was paying off. And then, he proposed to me. That was the greatest night of my life. It was worth it."

I saw what she was leading to. "And then?" I asked.

"And then it all fell out the window. He has been called to a final battle with Robotnik. He defeated him, but the building exploded. He gave his life for us. But it hurt. It hurt badly. Everything I had loved and worked for gone, just like-" she snapped her fingers. "-that. Now, do you remember what you did with the ruined project?"

"I shoved it in the trash and tried not to think about it," I said, plainly knowing what she was saying here.

"That's right. I tried not to think about him. That's why I moved away at my first chance. I didn't want to be reminded of him. It was hard with you two around. You needed a father, but I couldn't bring myself to love someone else. I was terribly selfish. I'm sorry."

She got up, taking the journal with her. I didn't try to stop her. As her words all sunk in, I barely noticed the small piece of paper fall from the book as she held it. After about five minutes of thinking about what she had said, I walked over to pick up the paper. I lifted it carefully as I looked at the picture. It was the newspaper clipping of Mom, Sonic, and Tails.

I felt something spark in my mind. If I still wanted to learn more... I wrote a note down on a slip of paper as I looked at a name in the caption of the photo. I folded it up with the picture as I went to put my books in my bag, leaving the note and clipping in there. I had a new objective in mind.

_Find Miles Prower._

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_**Note: The diorama event has never happened to me. I did make a rainforest diorama in third grade, and it was a pain in the- No, inner conscious, I wasn't going to swear! Honest! Well, review. No, not you, conscious. **


	10. Chapter 9: Mission Possible

**Hey there, Violet back with another chapter. I have a poll on my page. Can you take it? Kthanxbai.**

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I waited until Mom was asleep to tell Chase. Things like this had to be done with an air of secrecy, and this was the best way to do it. I opened the door slowly in case of squeaking.

"Chase?" I whispered at first. No answer came from the darkened room, so I stepped inside.

"Chase?" I asked a little louder. I heard him moan."

Can it wait 'till morning, Storm?" he grumbled.

"No," I replied. "I want to keep this top secret."

That did it. I knew speaking with him in "agent terms" would convince him. He shot up out of bed.

"What is it?" he asked. I explained everything except the dream- I still thought that sounded crazy. I got down to the journal and Mom taking it.

"I thought we could look for this Tails guy," I finished. "He could tell us a lot about our Dad."

Chase was stunned. "Our Dad was a superhero?" he asked. "Prove it."

I snuck out and got the paper clipping from my backpack. It displayed the giant robot thing quite clearly, and that was enough to convince him.

"Wow!" he whisper-yelled. "But...why should we need to learn more?"

"I dunno, it seems exciting!" I chirped. "Besides, I think it sound like a secret mission, don't you? We're like underground agents seeking information on a fallen agent." I knew that would convince him.

"But how will we find this guy?" he asked.

"Well, there aren't too many two tailed foxes in the world," I smirked. Then I remembered Dale. Apparently, so did Chase.

"What did you say this Tails guy's real name is?" he asked.

"Miles Prower," I replied. "Why?"

"That's Dale's last name!"

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I went back to my room that night and and flopped down on my bed. Millions of things buzzed through my head. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I hardly saw the figure out on the fire escape. When I did notice him, I did a doulbe take. He was gone without a trace. I went to sleep, a million questions still fresh in my mind. Then, in all my infinite luck of the day-good and bad- I had another weird dream.

I was back in the labyrinth, in the strange room again. Sonic looked different, somehow- this time he looked much taller, and more faded. His eyes were shadowed with a dark emptyness, dark lines sagging beneath them. I heard the footsteps of the mysterious woman again and hid behind a machine.

"Good morning again," she laughed maliciously.

"How long has it been?" Sonic asked. He seemed a shell of his former self, like a drained version of the hero I had seen in the pictures. His ribs were visible, and- well, he was not a happy hedgehog. "How long since I've been captured?"

"Long enough," the female figure spoke vaguely. "You're running out. I'll need a new source."

His eyes lit up with naïve hopes. "Are you...letting me go?"

The laugh that followed was the most cold, heartless laugh I have ever seen. It was a full, howling laugh, not like the evil laughs from cartoons. Yet it rung with all the evil it needed.

"No, fool. It means you're almost out of time. You're running out of life for me to take. Don't forget to pray when you sleep tonight, because you shouldn't be surprised if you should die before you wake."

I froze in terror. Part of me wanted to run and scream, but I couldn't move. It took all my will not to scream when I felt a hand reach out and grab my arm... ...Until my alarm went off.

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**Man, I've had a nice streak here! I'm actually being responsible about my writing! Review please!**


	11. Chapter 10: Oh boy, here we go

***sneezes* It's not fair! I don't wanna be sick on Valentine's Day! Well, here's a chapter. While people are getting shot by Cupid, I'll get shot by a cold. That joke was wittier in my head.**

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The next morning was an awkward breakfast. It was all silent; I didn't want to say anything to Mom, she didn't want to make it any less comfortable. So we sat in awkward silence until Chase asked Mom if bhe could go over to Dale's the next day.

"If his parents say yes," she replied. "I have to stay late at the school that day, anyway. You want to go, too Storm?"

Normally, I would have turned it down and stayed at home. But this was a perfect jackpot.

"Sure," I shrugged. "Why not?" My plan and questions unfolded in my head. This was going to need planning...

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The next day, I made sure the news clipping was in my bag. My mind was racing during school. I was thinking up questions to ask, how to introduce myself... That would be hard. I had to make myself look humble, not go up and say "Sir, I'd like you to tell me what you know about a Mr. Sonic the Hedgehog".

When school ended, Dale's mother picked us up. She was a brown rabbit with darker patches and warm amber eyes. I had seen her in the photos-she was Cream the Rabbit.

_So they're married? _I asked mentally. _Huh. I guess friendship goes a long way_.

"Hi, Dale!" she spoke cheerily as we entered the car. "And you two must be...oh..." She paused a moment, lost in thought as she looked at us. She shook it off and smiled. "You must be Chase and Storm. You can call me Mrs. Prower."

"Nice to meet you," I smiled. My plan fell out of my hands right there. I had _no idea_ what to do, and I was on the way!

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If I had to say one word to describe the Prower house, I would probably say this: _Big._ I mean, I've lived in apartments all my life, so I'm probably not the best person to ask. But I can tell that these people were loaded. They had a huge house with a polished granite walkway leading to large iron doors.

"Geez, what does your Dad do for a living to afford this?" I whispered to Dale.

"He's a mechanical engineer, among other things," Dale shrugged. "He also makes and sells inventions and has a degree in psycology. He's also got a pilot's liscence, and-"

"I get it," I laughed. "Smart guy."

We walked in through the doors of the large house. The place was nice, and had a very simple design, contrasting to the outside. A small blue chao flew up to the door, followed by an older, larger chao with a bowtie.

"Chao?" the small one...uh, chaoed.

"These are our pets, Cheese and Crackers," Dale introduced, then quietly added, "I didn't name Cheese, but I had to go with Crackers. It's just kinda a fun name."

I smiled. I had always wanted a pet. I patted Crackers on the head. "Cute," I said. "How long had you had them?"

"We've had Cheese for years," Dale explained, "but we got Crackers for my eighth birthday last year." _So he's nine, _I thought. _He must have done pretty well in school to get bumped up to grade five._

"So," I spoke, pulling out my backpack and walkig over to the kitchen table. "I guess I'll do some homework or something." I had a bit more over the past few days, due to the fact that I had gotten used to the schedule of things. As I took my book out of my bag and opened it, I noticed a picture on the wall. It showed Sonic the Hedgehog with Tails, smiling and laughing. There were thousands more pictures with Sonic in the house.

_I guess Tails isn't doing the whole "shove-the-memory-in-the-closet thing,_ I thought. I found one with Mom and Sonic standing side by side as a couple. She was wearing an engagement ring in the photo, so I guessed it was taken shortly before the battle Mom had talked about. I picked up the picture and held it a moment, looking at the two of them. They both looked so happy. And just then, for a brief moment, I envisioned life with him. What it would have been like to have someone to not only care about us, but about our mother as well. For a moment, I pictured life with a father. And among all my concerns about what to say to Tails, I smiled. I didn't care what I said anymore.

"Cream, Dale, I'm-" A voice came from the front door as a tall, two-tailed fox entered. He saw me at the table and stopped. I smiled, still holding the picture of Sonic and Amy.

"My name is Storm Rose," I spoke without thinking. "I think you know who my parents are."

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**Next Chapter- UBER IMPORTANT! **

**I don't like how this one turned out, honestly. Tell me your thoughts. I have to get the next two chapters right, so it might take longer. Also, you might notice how I'm changing the description constantly. I just can't get it right. I'll keep trying! Violet, signing off!**


	12. Chapter 11: Things get complicated

**NOTE: This chapter has quite a few things I need to elaborate on. When I reach a good point in this story, I will post two fanfics about Tails that will explain everything: One about his past, one about after his best friend's death. Also, for clarification, this fic actually takes place 17 years from the present Sonic games, as you can see from the fact that the characters are older in the prolouge. Enjoy, this chapter makes as much sense in some parts as LOST.**

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"You're...You're..." The older fox was at a loss for words. He looked exactly like the young fox I had seen in the photos except for height and a large scar that tore through his ear. His eyes didn't shine with the same childish innocence they had in the pictures, but right now were filled with surprise.

"Yes, I'm Amy's daughter," I replied. "and my Dad... Well, you know."

Tails stopped hyperventilating and sat down. "I don't believe it," he muttered. "Amy left town when she was pregnant. She said she wouldn't come back."

"She had a job offer here," I explained. "We just moved here."

We were both at a loss for words until I piped up. "I...uh...Well, I kinda came here to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, I was wondering what you were in my house," he gave a small laugh. I found myself liking him.

"Actually, that and my brother is in Dale's class," I replied.

"You have a brother?" his eyes grew larger.

"Yup," I smiled. "Chase. He's upstairs." I yelled for him.

"Yeah?" he said as he came down the stairs.

"This is Mr. Prower," I introduced. It felt weird to say, a bit overly formal. The fox seemed to agree.

"Just call me Tails, both of you," he smiled. "How old are you two?"

"I'm Thirteen," I explained. "Chase is eleven."

We sat in silence for a moment, all of us at a loss for words. Mr...I mean, Tails shifted uncomfortably, his tails flicking about.

"So..." he coughed. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Right!" I remembered what I had come for. "Listen, I...I just wanted to hear...anything, really. Mom has been avoiding the topic for so long, and I just want to know...I want to know about my father."

Tails's eyes softened. "I know what it feels like," he spoke with sympathy, "how it feels to grow up without a parent, to have information withheld about them. My mother died when I was young, and my father- well, let's not get on that right now. You want to hear about Sonic.

"I was around six years old when I first met him," he began. "Ran into him on the street. Literally. We kinda hit it off after that. Shortly after I first met him, my father and sister died when our house was struck by lightning and caught fire. Neither of us had anywhere else to go, so we stuck with each other. "For the next few years, life was great. We found a place to stay- I started a workshop in Mystic Ruins. I still have it there, we go there in the summer. I always had a knack for building things, and flying had been one of my passions. For my seventh birthday, I got my pilot's liscense. By the time I was eight, I had helped save the world around three times. It was life in a day for us, never look back."

I smiled. This guy sounded pretty cool. "Go on," I urged.

"Well, he was a pretty fun guy," Tails smiled. "I mean, he didn't crack under pressure. Life was a party for him. Even if that was a fault sometimes, he tried to never make things look worse than they were. Always looked at the full side of the glass."

He stopped and looked at me. "You have his eyes. Did you know that?"

It all flashed in my head. I remembered feeling that Deja vu whenever I saw his eyes, like I had seen them so clearly before. No wonder, I see them whenever I look in the mirror!

Around then we heard a repetative pounding in the door, followed by loud cries of distress.

"HELP!" a voice sounded from outside. "They're coming!"

"What was that?" Dale called, racing down the stairs.

Tails stood up from the table. "I'm about to find out," he declared as he stroke toward the door and opened it up.

Standing directly outside was a hedgehog who looked around my age. He was thin and scared, with black and silver quills and golden eyes.

"You have to hide me!" he cried out. "They're horrible! She-"

"Project 234, report here or be subject to anihillation!" a mechanical voice echoed from a distance. The hedgehog lept inside, not waiting for an answer.

Tails slammed the door shut. "What on Mobius is going on here?" he yelled as the hedgehog boy stood up from behind a couch. "How many people am I going to find today in my house?"

"I can explain, sir," he began, before noticing me. When he did, he froze completely and his face drained of all color.

"YOU!" he shouted. "You're the energy target!"

I swear, those words wouldn't have made more sense to me if he had been speaking Swahili. "Who _are_ you?" I asked.

"I'm Lifeform Prototype 234," he announced superiorly, "And I have a lot to talk about."

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**Gah, this fails. I can't put what I have to say into words. Explainations and main plot revealed next time on Days of Immortal/will soon be renamed!**


	13. Chapter 12: Things make sense, sort of

"You're _what?_" I asked. This kid had a _lot_ of nerve, running straight into someone's house. "You better have a good story."

"I wouldn't call it good," he began, "But it's something."

"I am one of many artificial life forms created by Project X, an experiment who was created as just a test, but became so powerful the person who created her took her in-"

"Waitaminute, _her_?" I interupted.

"Don't interupt," Tails scolded me. "Go on."

"Thank you," the black hedgehog thanked the fox. _At least this thing has some manners,_ I thought.

"Anyway, so her creator was impressed by her skills in strategy and battle and decided to use her as a weapon in battle, whereas he had mainly enlisted robots for help before. He finally decided she should play a part in a trap he had planned for his arch nemisis. He set up a machine for him to battle, but when he defeated it, he was grabbed from behind and chaos controlled to-"

"Wait, what's Chaos Control?" I asked.

"Storm, be polite. Stop interupting." Tails warned.

"Thanks. Anyway, so he was transported to a secret base, but X triggered an explosion to destroy her master and convince the world the hero she had kidnapped was dead."

Tails sprung up. "Wait a second!" he exclaimed. "This is all starting to sound like Eggman!"

"Now, Tails, be polite," I teased mockingly. Then I realized what he meant. "Hey, that means-"

"You got my message?" the black and gray hedgehog looked at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked. My faced flushed as I remembered the dreams I had been having. "How-"

"It wasn't all my idea," he shrugged. "See, we can kind of...well, some of us... There's a reason X was so deadly. She can impersonate anyone. Not just voices, but she can look into your mind and find a person she can use to taunt you. Then she becomes that person. There's only one way to tell the difference, though. She always has the same silver eyes. Anyway, because of that, plus the fact that I'm partially made with her DNA, I can...kind of sometimes sort of have a way with people's minds."

"You..." this was hard to grasp. "You gave me those dreams? How is that even possible?"

"I didn't give you the first one," he explained, as if that made everything make sense. "I'd never seen it. I wasn't even created then. That was...er, another clone. She'd seen it with her own eyes. The next one was a more recent memory, and one of mine. Happened last week."

"Storm, what's he talking about?" Chase asked. He, Dale, and Tails looked equally baffled.

"I've been having...especially weird dreams lately," I stated. "Both of them involved seeing Sonic in this tube...thing...and this weird energy draining device that literally sucked the life out of him. My last one said he didn't have much more time, and that they needed a new source..." I gulped. "That's me, isn't it?"

"Yup," he replied sheepishly. "She needs energy to keep herself powered up and to create new evil clones like me. I came to warn you. You don't have much time."

"Why would you warn me?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "You think I want X to take over the world?" he looked me in the eyes. "She isn't the nicest person around. See, I was kind of a breakthrough, an artificial life form with a set beginning age that ages onward. I guess, in a way, I was born at age seven. Pretty weird, huh?"

I nodded, trying to take all this in to make sense.

"Well, I got finished up, and then all she said was, 'Great!..Now what?' I got thrown aside with the other rejects. I met one other lifeform who also wanted to revolt, and she got me out and gave you you first dream. She got caught and brought back, though. I have no idea what they're going to do to her to punish her for deserting. So I don't really want to stay there."

"...let me clear something up," Tails cut in, finding this hard to grasp as well. "You said earlier...Sonic is still alive?"

"Barely, but yes," the project nodded. "He should be around for at least a week before he burns out."

"_Burns out?_" Tails repeated. "I...I can't believe this. Is it possible for him to be broken out?"

"I guess," he replied. "It would take a while to get past the security, and then you would have to navigate the tunnels."

"But you could get us there, right?" I joined in.

He looked a little overwhelmed. "Well, I don't really want to go back there...ever..." his voice trailed off. "I'm not going to have a choice, am I?"

"Look, if you don't want to, that's fine," Tails sighed, slowly sitting down. "I-I just though it would be nice to see my brother again."

"And my Dad," I added.

The project sighed. "I give in, then," he smirked. "It'll be tough, though."

"I can do tough," I posed in a mock athletic way, making Tails smile.

"I'm going too!" Chase stepped in. "My sister is not going without me!"

"Can I come?" Dale asked with a begging tone.

"I guess we're all going," Tails smiled down at all of us. "We have to get ready. We have to prepare."

"First things first," I put in. "We aren't calling you Project 234 for the rest of your life. You need a name. Any ideas?"

"Not really," the nameless hedgehog shrugged. "You have any ideas?"

"How about Sol?" suggested Dale. "Like the Roman god of the sun."

"I like it," the newly named Sol nodded. "Sol it is."

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**So, who likes Sol so far? Now, before you jump on me with questions about the Sol Emeralds, let me just say that I couldn't come up with a good name, then I looked at the book Long Shadows and said YES! PERFECT! Then I googled "Sol" to make sure it was, in fact, the Roman sun god, and I saw the Sol Emeralds on the wikipedia page for Sol and just said "screw this, I'll do it anyway." Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

** Next time: Breaking the Barrier (Battle Training!)**


	14. Chapter 13: A Title Would be Handy Here

**IN THIS CHAPTER: Awesome battle training, building rivalry, and my explaination on how they can just pull Piko-Piko hammers out of nowhere. R&R**!

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We knew we had to prepare for the trip. We didn't know we had to train for it, though, and we had no idea training would be like_ this_.

Tails brought us up to a large, overstuffed hall closet upstairs filled with random items. He rummaged through it and eventually brought forth a pair of red running shoes.

"Take these," he said, handing them to me. I was extremely confused, as I already had shoes, but I put them on anyway.

"Do they fit?" he asked.

"They fit okay," I responded. "I have my own shoes, you know."

Tails gave a me a 'trust me, okay?' look and pointed to the other side of the room. "Not like these. Now, run to that lamp." _Now_ I was confused.

"You can run, can't you?" he gave a waning smile.

I did what he told me to, and the next thing confuzzled me to the limit. I somehow did it in less than half a second. My speed had been somehow multiplied at least times ten. I looked back at him with a "what just happened?" glance.

"Those shoes are designed to ultimately charge your speed with Chaos Drives. You can keep them, but their effects will work on you without them after-"

I didn't hear the rest of his statement as I ran out of the room, down the stairs, to the door, and back at hyperactive speed.

"These things are AWESOME!" I shouted as I shot back into the room.

"Can I have some?" Chase begged. "Please?"

"I might have another pair...Aha!" I expected to see him bring out another pair of the shoes, but instead he brought out what looked like a giant hammer.

"Um...what's that?" I asked.

"A piko-piko hammer," he explained. "It's...It was your mother's. She left me with it when she left town. You can have it."

Chase seized it up. I knew this kid well, he would use this well. He was an awesome batter at Little League when he was younger, so he could hit well.

"How are we gonna lug that around?" I asked skeptically as I took a close look at the large metal hammer.

"Watch this," the fox stood up, taking the hammer. "Stand back."

We all took a step back as he pushed a button on the handle and the head of it collasped and folded like origami, folding back into itself until there was just a rod left, big enough to keep in your pocket.

"Woah," I let out.

"I don't really have pockets..." Chase pointed out.

"You can wear your jacket," I retaliated. "Didn't you have it in your backpack? It's getting cold outside, anyway."

"Speaking of outside," the two tailed fox announced, "Let's go do a little training. I'll take you to the yard."

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The training was pretty fun, actually. I've always been told I was a natural runner, and I felt like I was really stretching to my limit. Running free at impossible speeds that I'd never imagined? I guess nothing's impossible.

Except nailing gelatin to a wall, slamming a revolving door, licking your elbow...

Okay, nothing that actually matters is impossible. Anyway, as I was running around the yard, I felt truly free. Seeing the world as a blur as I raced past, feeling the wind in my quills...this was really living. This was what I wanted life to be like, carefree, just moving onward...

It was then as I was distracted by my inner monologue that I noticed I was just about to run smack into a small tree. By sudden instinct, as I realized I couldn't just suddenly stop, I jumped in the air and curled into a ball. I hit the small tree square in the trunk, blasting it into splinters.

"Are you alright?" Chase asked as he rushed over to me. I stood up, uninjured.

"I feel fine," I replied. "Listen, Tails, about the tree..."

"That was perfect!" Tails grinned. "That would save you if you were attacked while running. Don't worry about the tree, I'll take care of that. I'll just get you something better to target."

"How do you fight?" Chase asked him.

"I prefer aerial combat," the fox answered.

"So you fly planes?"

"Well, that and this-" his tails began to spin rapidly until they supported him like helicopter blades. My jaw dropped.

"You can fly," I stated, dumbfounded.

"Yup," he smiled. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Chase's gaze darted to Dale. "Can you do that?" he interrogated.

"Yeah, sometimes," Dale spoke shyly, slowly followig his father's actions and lifting a foot off the ground.

"H-how is that possible?" I stuttered.

"Nothing's impossible," Sol phrased. I gave him a quick glare. _If this kid was messing with my mind again..._

"I am not!" he answered my thoughts, then realized he had just revealed himself. I took off after him, ready to launch...

"Storm!" Tails shouted for me. I was already in motion, begining to attack, but it seemed like Sol had his own ideas on how to stop me.

"CHAOS SPEAR!" he cried out, sending a blast of-I'm still not certain, but pretty much a big blast of energy tore through the air just next to my head as he stepped out of the way and I crashed into the ground, getting covered in dirt.

"What the HECK was that?" I shouted. "You could have _killed_ me!"

"Well, you weren't being that friendly, either," Sol replied nonchalantly. "You were trying to get me. It was simply self-defense."

"Self-defense is not SHOOTING LASERS AT PEOPLE!" I screamed, making frantic hand gestures. "Or whatever that was! Why, I oughta-"

It was then that we noticed Tails laughing at us hysterically.

"And what's so funny?" we said in unison.

"You're acting just like Amy!" Tails laughed. He then cleared his throat and tried to seem more professional. "Seriously, though, where did you learn to do that, Sol? I thought you said you were just cast off after your creation. You didn't mention any battle training."

His face flushed. "Well, who says I had to learn that there? I mean, I've been out a while..."

Tails put his hands on Sol's shoulders. "What are you hiding?" he asked, his bright blue eyes burning with an inner fire as they bore into the other's golden ones, which burned back stubbornly and steadfast.

"I don't have to tell you anything," he muttered, pulling away. "You have no power over me."

"Fine," Tails accepted this answer. "But the truth always comes out sometime. It's better to let that time come sooner than to have it used against you."

"Fine, then," Sol turned away. "I guess the truth can come out at my funeral. For now, I'm not talking."

Tails's namesakes flicked with anxiety as he walked back in the house to get targets for more practice. I fixed my gaze on the black and silver streaked hedgehog.

_There's so much you won't tell us. Who are you?_

"You'd better not answer that," I spoke aloud to him.

"I wasn't even paying attention," he retorted as he walked away.

* * *

**It's time to play CHARACTER PREDICTIONS! Everyone guess what will happen/something that has happened to one of the characters! Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, please review! **


	15. Chapter 14: The Quest Begins!

**Gah, this chapter was a bit difficult to write. WhenI _finally _had it on here and edited it for the right formatting, I pushed some button and closed the window without saving. That's a tip, kiddies: Save your work. **

**Anyway, I've decided to play with POVs occasionally, although we will still mainly be focusing on Storm. I threw in a little scene I came up withat the begining like an intro because I was bored, which is in third person. You can expect Chase soon, then maybe Tails. Sol would be fun to write, too. Gah, I'm rambling now, aren't I? Let's finish this after you read.**

* * *

"What do you mean, _they got out?"_

Two figures stood face to face. One was burning with rage, the other emotionless and metalic in the dim light.

"Project 234 has left the premises," a mechanical voice came from one of them.

"You fool!" the other screamed. "You worthless rust bucket! I should have disposed of you when I had the chance. But no, I felt like I should give _some_ of the old man's robots a second chance! It must be some of that fool Robotnik's softness rubbing off on me."

The seemingly emotionless robot tensed up, if that was possible. He didn't seem to like that statement about Robotnik. "You should respect your creator," the robot pointed out sharply. "It should be your prime objective."

The other figure narrowed her cold silver eyes at the cobalt machine. "Don't you get it, bolt brain?" she hissed with a voice like venom. "Your precious master is dead. We have no service to him anymore. Change your objective, Metal Sonic. You're _mine_, and you will do as I say."

Defiance glowed in the electronic eyes of the robot as the two had a stare-down. At last, the organic life form snapped away.

"Go back to your post," she growled, "and I might reconsider incinerating you."

The robot stalked away, with the clang of metal hitting metal echoing through he corridor as he took paced steps. Things had changed around here, and nothing was right anymore.

* * *

I let the thing with Sol slide for now. I wasn't entirely comfortable with having someone around who could look into my thoughts and insert things into my mind, and he wasn't really doing anything to make me trust him. But we needed a guide, and I knew we weren't going to find anyone else to help us. You can't go up to a stranger and say, "Hey, you wouldn't know where to find a top secret lab where a supposedly dead hero is being tortured, would you?"

Tails went over the idea with Cream. She wasn't too keen on it, but she reluctantly allowed him to take us and Dale.

"I mean, it's not like you haven't done anything dangerous before," she admitted. Tails smiled sheepishly as his scarred ear flicked.

We each got a small pack for the essentials- some sandwiches and energy bars, bottles of water, and small first aid kit, among other things. This would probably turn out to be a longer trip than I imagined, which might need some explaining when we got home.

_When we get home..._

I hadn't even thought about that. Mom would throw a fit if we left without telling her! If we fail...

_No. We won't._

I stamped on the concept. _We. Will. Not. Fail._

"Alright!" I clapped my hands together as we stepped outside. "Where to first, Sacagawea?"

Sol, oblivious to the joke, looked around. "I think we should start by heading to Green Hill Zone. That's- let's see, how far from here..." "It doesn't matter," I said, ready to run. "Let's get going!" "We need to know where to go, first," Tails pointed out. "We need to get out of the city, first- Green Hill Zone should be just north of here."

* * *

When we got to Green Hill Zone, I had to say I had never seen anything like it. The formations in the earth looked like they had been designed for a roller coaster, with loops and tunnels scattered everywhere. A soft breeze rolled in, sending my bangs into my face as I stared in awe.

"This place looks awesome," I managed to sputter. I felt pretty stupid saying it, but it was true.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Tails replied, a nostalgic look in his eyes. I had a feeling this wasn't his first time here. Like he had been here in better times.

I shook my head. _We'll get Sonic back,_ I told myself. _We'll set things right._

"Right," I clapped. "Let's get started! You guys gonna catch up to me?"

"Won't be a problem," Sol rolled his eyes.

"Let's get started then!"

I took off. Nothing here was even. Chunks of earth were raised like perfect platforms as I ran forward and jumped on top of them, racing on top and jumping from cliff to cliff.

_Who designed this place, the Mad Hatter?_

I approached what reminded me off a huge replica of one of the Hot Wheels tracks my brother used to play with. It was a huge loop, like on a roller coaster. I gulped, propelling myself forward. I ran halfway before slowing down at the top.

Looking back, that was really, really stupid. I was too caught up in my fear of failing to listen to reason and speed up, and I ended up falling upside down from the top of the loop.

"AAAAAAAH!" I let out a huge scream as I tumbled in midair, landing directly on top of Sol.

"Nice landing, Speedy," the dark project grumbled as he recovered.

"You okay?" Chase asked. "Despite the fall, that looked awesome."

"You think?" I moaned as I got up. I didn't hurt at all, I had just paniced at the thought of falling. I guess that's one of my fears: the fear of failure.

"You should have just curled up and braced yourself," Sol pointed out. "Then you might not have to use me as a landing pad."

"He's right," Tails nodded. "Try again. You did pretty well, just remember to speed up at the top."

I nodded and stood up. I backed up quite a bit and began running to gain speed, then shot up the ramp at top speed.

Scratch that: there is no such thing as top speed. There's always a faster way. Just saying.

Reaching the top...

_**YES!**_

I accelerated at the top of the loop, shooting me forward with a loud sound, similar to a cannon going off. I slowed down as soon as I could stop my feet, the others catching up to me.

"What the H-!"

Tails cut me off before I could swear. "Congratulations, you just broke the sound barrier," he panted.

A sonic boom. I'd never heard one before, not in reality. On television sometimes, but never in real life. Furthermore, I caused it? I half expected the sound to make me go deaf, but it didn't even affect me. I didn't even feel tired. Before I could do anything to celebrate my victory (okay, I might have done a little dance), I saw figures come out of nowhere. A red, mechanical figure emerged from behind a cliff with a cannon arm.

"Oh, geez, run!" Sol shouted, clearly annoyed.

"I couldn't have figured that one out on my own!" I replied, rolling my eyes. He turned to me with a serious expression.

"You don't understand! They're X's!"

"Wha-" I was about to speak when a laser shot past my face, burning some of my quills off. I decided Sol just might be on to something.

We all ran (or, for some of us, flew) off, the robots giving chase. More lasers filled the air as we dodged each one.

"Always lasers!" Sol groaned. "Such a show-off! She's teasing us!"

"She teases with _laser robots?" _I yelled back. "This villan has too much time on her hands!"

"You're telling me!" Sol shouted in reply. "I'm her creation!"

_**"Project 234 and Energy Target: Detected." **_

The two of us froze as we noticed we had been separated from Tails, Chase, and Dale. In front of us stood a hulking five foot tall red and silver android with a claw arm for a right hand and a cannon for a left. It scanned us with it's glowing blood-red eyes before sending a signal to it's fellow robots.

_**"TAKE THE GIRL, ANNIHILATE 234 ON SIGHT!"**_

And the day just went uphill from there.

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**Review and check my profile! Thanks for reading! Don't do drugs! Bye!**


	16. Chapter 15: We battle some killer robots

EDIT: As it was pointed out to me, I did not remember to name the POV in the first part, causing confusion. I was not able to use the computer for this note, only my iTouch, so excuse the weird formating. CHASE'S POV

"Run!" Tails shouted. "Get away, quickly!"

I did as I was told, but a small part of me wanted to break out the hammer and fight. Okay, maybe I_ really _wanted to fight, but I ran as fast as I could- not nearly as fast as Storm, but pretty fast, mind you- and kept up with Dale and Tails.

"Have you seen these things before?" I asked Tails as we ran.

"Not these types," Tails responded. "I'm not sure how we can defeat them, so we'd better-"

"Let's find out, then!" I replied, sliding the pole-like object out of my jacket. My hands slid onto the button instantly, giving me one bulky weapon, right up.

Dale gulped. "You sure?"

"Chase, no!" Tails shouted. "We-"

It was then that we heard the call of one of the robots, saying something about "Eliminating on sight, take hostage, blah, blah". I didn't pay attention to the words, just the fact that it distracted me and made me trip flat on my face.

"Ow," I muttered as I got off the ground. I looked back to see Storm and Sol running from a hulking metalic figure charging after them. All the robots seemed focused on was the two other hedgehogs, who were not the happiest looking people in the world. Storm was shouting just about any word that came to mind at the moment (naughty and nice) as she was being pursued, while Sol tried to calm her down.

"Would you quit panicing?" he snapped, just as a laser shot past his head. "Just-" another laser, "-keep-" projectile, "-your cool!" Another laser.

Tails guided us behind one of the small ledges while Storm and Sol tried to escape. The robots weren't focused on us at all right now, just the two of them. I felt like this was the golden opportunity to leap in.

"C'mon!" I nagged to the two Prowers. "We can't let them just get Storm and Sol! We have to do _something!_"

"It's too dangerous for you two," Tails tried to assure us, a shadow in his eyes.

"You used to do this kind of stuff when you were our age!" I dissagreed. "We can do this, right, Dale?"

Dale, who up until now was always shy and soft spoken, had a little fire in his eyes. He nodded his agreement. "We should aim for the head," he observed. "Even through it looks flat, there's a weak looking spot on top with the seam. Aim for that."

Tails sighed. "I guess you can fight," he gave a little smile, trying to hide how he really felt. "Let's go."

I grinned, gripping my hammer. I looked out and scanned for where they were now. It wasn't too hard to find a bunch of robots chasing two colored hedgehogs, so as you could imagine, we spotted them pretty quickly. I charged at them, swinging wildly.

_"This is what you get for messing with my sister!"_

* * *

**Storm's POV **

It was pretty terrifying, being chased by a horde of bulky metal monsters. I mean, it's one thing for me to talk about it, but it's another thing to be there, being shot at and having to depend on the guy next to you, even though I had a feeling neither of us had a clue what we were doing. It was frightening, but it was kind of thrilling too. We were, in a sense, winning. These things weren't the world's fastest machines. We could outrun them. We hadn't gotten hit. The adrenaline pulsed through my body, shoving me forward and helping me manuver each projectile. I was afraid, but it was kind of...fun. I took each step faster than the last, pushing myself to my limit and further. The robots seemed to be approaching faster, the sunlight reflecting eerily off their sleek, metal bodies. One of them got ready to blast again as a cry broke out behind it.

_"This is what you get for messing with my sister!" _

The pleasing sound that was a loud mix of a _THWACK _and a _CLUNK_ sounded as a hammer became visible and I saw my brother jump up and bring his weight into knocking the robot senseless. The red laser-pointeresque eyes on the android dimmed as it fell to the ground.

"You guys want more?" Chase shouted. "Huh?"

I had to crack a smile. "And Chase joins the fight!" I cheered.

Another hunk of metal fell, this time the target of a flash of gold knocking into his from behind. _"Tails?"_ I guessed. _That attack didn't really seem...Fox-like._

"I was taught to fight hedgehog style," he explained as if reading my mind.

Dale proceeded to do the same attack on another one. It didn't fall completely, but Chase gave it a little knock over the head to finish the job.

"Leave at least one for me!" Sol shouted, after which he shot a chaos spear right at final robot, causing a pleasing small explosionvto finish the fight.

"That...was..." I searched for the right word. It had to be something between _awesome_ and_ terrfying._

"..._Interesting." _

Tails brushed some oil that had dripped onto him off his fur. "You haven't seen anything yet," he promised.

* * *

**I'm not too proud of this chapter. It's not my best. Anyway, give me suggestions and review and stuff!**


	17. Chapter 16: The Author's Apology

**Dear readers: I am so freaking sorry. I have no excuse except the fact that I am purely lazy and have been working on other fanfics (on forums and my other pen name). I've been bad with those too, but not nearly as bad as this. I also realize the last chapter sucked, and I'm trying to put too much emotion in. I considered pulling a Ordinary Chaos, but then I slapped myself and said "Geez, Vi! You're only 13! You cannot write a Pulitzer! Do your best! So here it is.**

* * *

We camped outside that night. It was cold, we had no tent, and we were all hungry, but somehow I felt comfortable at out makeshift campsite. It was a perfectly clear night, and the stars lit up the sky like frozen fireflies.

"We should set out at daybreak," Sol announced to the group. "It really isn't far, one- maybe two more days travel should get us there."

"Then why hasn't anyone found this place yet?" I questioned, my tone harsher than I mean it to be.

Sol seemed slightly annoyed. "First off, there's no real reason anyone would look for it, seeing as X keeps things top secret until the last minute."

"Long minute," I muttered. Sol growled.

"Hey!" Chase pushed the two of us apart. "Break it up, ladies," he rolled his eyes. Sol and I grumbled in harmony.

"He's right," Tails reminded us. "We can't just argue all the time. We'll get us at daybreak and set out for... Wherever this place is."

All of us chose a place to sleep (Sol, as I advised, rested as far away as possible from me to prevent those weird dreams), and everyone else nodded off fairly quickly. I felt fine sleeping outdoors, but I kept having this nagging feeling in my gut. I figured it might be lack of food, but I couldn't waste supplies. I got up and looked at the landscape. Green Hill Zone looked enchanting at night. The moon provided just enough light to see the wide array of obstacles and loops, inviting me to go give it another whirl. I wondered if a little midnight run would get me ready for some sleep. I took a step out into the fields.

"Going somewhere?" My quills went on end as a familiar voice pierced the night air. I turned around and saw a vulpine shape in the moonlit darkness. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Tails asked.

I shrugged. "I feel...kind of weird. You know, about this whole 'go save your father who you've nevre met' thing. I only learned his name less than a week ago, and now we're putting our lives in danger for him."

"You're not just going for him," Tails pointed out.

"Huh?"

Tails sat down on one of the small ledges. "If what Sol says is true, it won't be long before X decides to start something. We need to stop her, whatever it is she's planning. Besides, we can't just stand back and let this happen. Think about this, Storm- if someone who had done nothing wrong was being tortured to death, would that be fair?"

I got the message. "No."

"You'd want to help him, then?"

"I would," I replied.

"So it doesn't have much to do with if you know him, does it?"

"Nope," I shrugged.

We sat in silence for a few moments, just sitting there in moonlight, before I racked up the nerve to speak. "I can think of another good reason to save him," I admitted shyly.

"Oh?" I took a breath before asking my next question.

"...You miss him, don't you?"

Tails stared down at his shoes. "More than anything," he sighed. "I'd gotten over his...what we thought was his death, but it took years for me to get over it. At first I tried inventing things to take my mind off matters, but it all led back to him. Those shoes you're wearing? I tried convincing myself I was inventing a scientific outbreak, but heck, they're shoes. I tried to follow your mother's steps for a while, and forget about him. I left my workshop to live with Cream and her mother. I enrolled in High School. None of it helped. I couldn't stay away from my past. My classmates treated me like dirt because of these." His tails lay still on the platform as he slid his gloved hand over them. For the first time, I noticed that there was a long, thin scar trailing up one of the two appendages.

"I got in a fight when I was sixteen," he recalled, pain in his voice as his finger traced the scar. "That's how I got my scars. I had given up hope by that point, and got into as many fights as I could. I was trying to kill myself."

"All because of Sonic?" I asked. He shook his head. "I'd had so much misfortune even before I'd met your father. After he was gone, and I was constantly bullied, I'd had enough. I came to my senses eventually, with Cream's help, but now..."

"Don't tell me you're going to go jump off a cliff," I teased. "I think Dale would miss you."

He smiled, then sighed. "I was going to say, now that he's alive, I'm not sure how to feel. I would be overjoyed to have him back, but it's such a concept...I can hardly wrap my mind around it. It's almost as if I've gotten these scars for nothing."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I just sat silently, staring at the sky. The moon was half hidden in shadow, providing just enough light to see. "I wonder what we'll do when he's back," I wondered aloud. "It'll be a shock for all of us, that's for sure. Especially him, seeing as he suddenly has two kids."

Tails laughed.. "He knew about that. I think it's the time that has passed that will be the biggest shock. I'm sure when everything is explained, he'll be up and running in no time. He's alright when it comes to change."

"I hope so," I stretched and yawned.

"Tired yet?" Tails smiled.

"I guess," I replied. I went back to where the others were sleeping, my head swimming with ideas and questions but my eyes heavy wih fatigue. I laid down and drifted off instantly.

* * *

** I still can't apologize enough *bangs head against wall* Stupid, stupid, stupid... If you want me to not cause brain damage, review. *hits wall* Ghdtdbf...**


	18. Chapter 17: Cookie sales plummet

"Hey. Wake up."

I awoke to a sneaker meeting my ribs. "Ow..." I muttered, my eyes fluttering open.

"Time to go," Sol kicked again, harder this time.

"Ow! I'm up!" I got to my feet.

"Great," Sol nodded. "Well, everyone else is ready. Let's go."

"Don't I get to eat something?"

Sol gave me a blank look. "You don't need to. It won't take long to get there."

"Oh, you're kidding."

"Here," Tails handed me an energy bar. "It's not much, but you'll need your strength."

"Thanks," I smiled up at the fox.

Sol rolled his eyes. "Well," he interjected, "We have a short distance to cover today until we reach HQ, then the real trouble starts."

"You know the way around, right?" I took a bite of my makeshift breakfast.

Sol shrugged. "The real problem is getting in unnoticed," he confided. "You can't rightly go up saying you're selling cookies."

I was in thought for a moment. "You know, that might work..."

Sol facepalmed. "I've given you an idea, haven't I."

I grinned. "Oh, you know you have."

Everyone joined Sol in the action.

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock_

"Hello? Anyone home?"

"This has to be the stupidest thing I've ever agreed to," Sol grumbled as I kicked the steel hatch that led to one area of X's headquarters.

"You positive you know where this alternate entrance is?" Chase asked.

Sol's golden eyes seemed to deepen a shade, taking on a dark amber hue. "Have I lied to you?"

_We've known you for three days,_ I felt like saying.

"Storm, try some more," Dale encouraged. "Get everyone inside's attention."

I nodded to the usually quiet kid. I kicked politely again. "Hello? Anyone in there?"

Sol's pupils shrank, as if a thought had occurred to him, such as remembering you left the oven on before boarding a plane. "Run," he advised with undertones of panic. "Follow me."

I stepped away from the hatch just in time to feel the rumble of an underground stampede. It felt just like an earthquake, but I knew it wasn't naturally caused.

"RUN!" Sol screamed at me. I made a mad dash to follow him as the hatch exploded.

* * *

**No signs of damaged organic matter,** a screen read in bold green lettering.

"Damn it!" a furious voice roared. "That plate was supposed to ignite on contact with flesh!"

"The source was kicking it with a shoe," Metal Sonic deadpanned. "No flesh was touching the plate. It was a slow transfer, plus the fuel is running low."

X whipped around, her silver glare slicing into the robot's lifeless eyes like daggers.

"You think I don't know that?" she spoke in a malice-laced whisper which grew steadily into a fast-paced growl. "You think I haven't noticed we need more fuel? And that there was a shoe? It shouldn't take that long. We need more power sources, and I entrusted you with trying to aquire them. You failed me."

"The search team found an issue that needed immediate attetion," Metal Sonic argued. "Project 234-"

"You failed at that, too!" X cried out. "I don't know why I even keep you around, you'll never succeed. You never have, and you never will! Robots should do exactly what they're told and never have a second thought. You were made to serve your master."

The robot's cold eyes glared. "You are not my master."

X's glare did not falter. "I am now. Robotnik was killed by the very person you were programed to capture, which you were also a _failure_ at. I was the one to obtain him. I followed orders, I deserve to be your master."

X began to walk back to the monitor. She almost didn't hear Metal Sonic's final words to her- "You are a failure as well."

Her ears perked. She turned her head. "What was that, rust bucket?" she hissed.

"Your objective was not completed," the android replied in his monotone. "Your objective was to save Robotnik as well."

X turned back around to walk away. "I didn't fail. I didn't have to complete that objective. You don't get it. do you? I'm not a robot. I have my own will."

Metal Sonic reflected on that as X walked back to keep an eye on the monitors.

* * *

**We can all assume I'm not a constant updater by this point. I think we all have that down. Anyway, I was a bit wary about the last bit, but most X and Metal Sonic moments function as their own oneshots. If you haven't noticed, I am a Metal Sonic fan, and have plans to give him his own fic in the future. Remember- more reviews= Shorter waits.**


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